Cancelling for no good reason

[ChiefMateJRK]

Has anybody recently cancelled a NCL cruise without reason (i.e. let's just say plans change, nothing health/Covid related, etc.).  Assume no insurance.  Has NCL refunded your taxes and port fees?  Thanks.

[Dcoy]

We canceled a September cruise back in March with full refunds. We decided we didn’t want to fly to NY.  This was way before final payment was due. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 minutes ago, Dcoy said:

We canceled a September cruise back in March with full refunds. We decided we didn’t want to fly to NY.  This was way before final payment was due. 

Thanks.  I need to clarify that I'm referring to a cancellation after final payment due date.

[CruzCra-Z]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Has anybody recently cancelled a NCL cruise without reason (i.e. let's just say plans change, nothing health/Covid related, etc.).  Assume no insurance.  Has NCL refunded your taxes and port fees?  Thanks.

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Edited June 27, 2022 by CruzCra-Z
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[ByThePond]

24 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Thanks.  I need to clarify that I'm referring to a cancellation after final payment due date.

If you are after final payment date, you will get nothing from NCL. 

[vacation44]

43 minutes ago, ByThePond said:

If you are after final payment date, you will get nothing from NCL. 

It your sailing is within 60 days, then the penalty is 100%.  However, there is a 25% penalty at 119-106 days, 50% penalty at 105-91 days and 75% penalty at 90-61 days.

[FM]

NCL will refund whatever amount you will be eligible for to the 'original form of payment.'  For Haven Suite guests and above the cancellation fee schedule is different. 

[Turtles06]

54 minutes ago, ByThePond said:

If you are after final payment date, you will get nothing from NCL. 

My NCL PCC has told me that if you cancel after final payment, taxes and port fees will be refunded. 

[Babr]

I’m pretty sure they are legally required to return port fees and taxes because those are collected on behalf of governmental agencies. They are not part of the funds the cruise line is entitled to keep per their cancellation and refund policy.

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

11 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

My NCL PCC has told me that if you cancel after final payment, taxes and port fees will be refunded. 

Thanks.  This is why I asked the question the way I did.  I would like to hear from somebody who has actually done this recently, not just what some NCL rep or TA tells somebody.

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 minutes ago, Babr said:

I’m pretty sure they are legally required to return port fees and taxes because those are collected on behalf of governmental agencies. They are not part of the funds the cruise line is entitled to keep per their cancellation and refund policy.

 

 

This is the gray zone.  I bought the right to sail on a certain itinerary, so money was exchanged and taxes are owed.  The fact that I don't sail might not mean I'm entitled to my taxes back, especially if NCL keeps  the money.  IIRC, sales taxes are considered a "transaction tax," so if the cash transaction is not reversed, the taxes may still be owed.  Also, I've read that the port fees per person are some type of proration over all expected passengers of port fees owed for the ship to dock.  I a person fails to sail, the ship may still owe the same port fees.

[Babr]

30 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

This is the gray zone.  I bought the right to sail on a certain itinerary, so money was exchanged and taxes are owed.  The fact that I don't sail might not mean I'm entitled to my taxes back, especially if NCL keeps  the money.  IIRC, sales taxes are considered a "transaction tax," so if the cash transaction is not reversed, the taxes may still be owed.  Also, I've read that the port fees per person are some type of proration over all expected passengers of port fees owed for the ship to dock.  I a person fails to sail, the ship may still owe the same port fees.

The tax is not a sales tax on the cost of the cruise. It is a tax assessed by the port along with other fees that are calculated on a per person basis and ship tonnage basis. That is why they are the same for everyone. The amount is assigned to each person; so if you don’t go, you don’t owe the fees and taxes.

Edited June 27, 2022 by Babr

[njhorseman]

26 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Thanks.  This is why I asked the question the way I did.  I would like to hear from somebody who has actually done this recently, not just what some NCL rep or TA tells somebody.

I did it in early 2020 prior to the COVID shutdown and got our taxes and fees fully refunded with the fare refund being reduced in accordance to the cancellation penalty table in effect at the time.

 

[CrazyTrain2]

I'd be looking to get ahold of a positive Covid test from somebody.

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

I'd be looking to get ahold of a positive Covid test from somebody.

I was looking for facts and data.  Not guidance on committing fraud.  I just don't swing that way....

[SimplyAlbert]

This was before COVID.  Our son-in-law was unable to make the cruise due to a job change about two weeks before we sailed, although our daughter still went.  We had trip insurance, but this was not a covered reason.  His port fees and taxes were refunded.

[Cowboy296]

Booked Granddaughter and a companion for NCL January 2022 cruise. Companion was a 'No Show'. Port fees were $163.70 per person. She was given a $95.16 FCC. How they came up with that figure and why it was put on a FCC and my form of payment I do not know. A case was submitted to have it refunded instead of FCC and was denied.

[Cowboy296]

I meant "How they came up with that figure and why it was put on a FCC and NOT my form of payment I do not know."

Edited June 30, 2022 by Cowboy296

[BirdTravels]

On 6/27/2022 at 12:35 PM, ByThePond said:

If you are after final payment date, you will get nothing from NCL. 

Totally wrong. Port fees and taxes are refunded. Purchased add-ons are refunded (prepaid grants, Shore excursions, internet, spa, dining, etc). It is really the cruise fare and insurance. 
 

If you have NCL insurance, they will give you a fcc of 75% or 90% if you cancel for a non covered reason. 

Edited June 30, 2022 by BirdTravels

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Totally wrong. Port fees and taxes are refunded. Purchased add-ons are refunded (prepaid grants, Shore excursions, internet, spa, dining, etc). It is really the cruise fare and insurance. 
 

If you have NCL insurance, they will give you a fcc of 75% or 90% if you cancel for a non covered reason. 

Thanks.  This is exactly what I wanted to confirm.  I'm currently buying cheap insurance (i.e. catastrophic medical/evac and medical cancellation without preexisting waiver).  I just wanted to confirm that I could exclude port fees/taxes from the non-refundable trip cost.  Doing so brings the insurance cost down to about 4% of the final payment amount.  😎

[Keata]

This past Sunday the airline could not get me to the port on time.  Despite the fact it was NCL Air, I was forced to cancel with 100% penalty.  What was refunded were all the things BirdTravels said. Great idea about excluding those things that will be refunded.  Will make sure I do that in the future!

[The Traveling Man]

On 6/27/2022 at 11:35 AM, ByThePond said:

If you are after final payment date, you will get nothing from NCL. 

@ChiefMateJRKWe cancelled a cruise on the Pearl in May 2019 less than 48 hours before the scheduled embarkation.  We received a refund equal to our taxes, port fees, gratuities, and prepaid items such as shore excursions.  The only thing that NCL did not refund was the basic cruise fare.  Things may be different now, but that was our experience in 2019.

[Katie H]

@ChiefMateJRKWe had just cancelled when you posted this question.  I was waiting for refund to answer.  Refund received today.  We canceled just days after we made final payment.  NCL retained 25% of our cruise fare only.  Taxes and fees and dining and beverage gratuities were returned.  It was a very complicated refund because we had paid with CruiseNext Certificates, FCC which has expired so could not be returned and credit card payments.  The expired FCC was counted as part of our penalty thereby returning more to our credit card than I had expected.  The only complication remaining is that we had made a $500 Amex payment last year during one of their cash back offers and Amex had given us a $125 statement credit.  I'll just watch to see if Amex reverses that credit, but that has nothing to do with NCL.

[njkate]

On 6/30/2022 at 12:46 AM, ChiefMateJRK said:

Thanks.  This is exactly what I wanted to confirm.  I'm currently buying cheap insurance (i.e. catastrophic medical/evac and medical cancellation without preexisting waiver).  I just wanted to confirm that I could exclude port fees/taxes from the non-refundable trip cost.  Doing so brings the insurance cost down to about 4% of the final payment amount.  😎

That was a very good question and educated answers, will need to keep that in mind next time to deduct refundable things like prepaid gratuities, drink pkg gratuities, port fees and taxes from the total before I give ins the trip total. Those items add up and can increases the ins payment